LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION

Trait Approach

Chapter 2
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION

Overview

Great Person Theories

Historical Shifts in Trait Perspective

What Traits Differentiate Leaders From

Nonleaders?

How Does the Trait Approach Work?

LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 3

Great Person Theories

Trait Approach: one of the first systematic
attempts to study leadership

Great Man Theories (early 1900s)

Focused on identifying innate
qualities and characteristics
possessed by great social, political,
& military leaders

Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 4

Historical Shifts in Trait Perspective

Early 1900s 1930-50s 1970s - Early 90s Today

Traits Interacting With Revival of Critical Role of 5 Major

Great Man Theories
Situational Demands on Leaders Traits in Leader Effectiveness Leadership Traits

Research focused Landmark Stogdill (1948) Stogdill (1974) Intelligence

on individual study - analyzed and - Analyzed 163 new studies Self-
characteristics synthesized 124 trait studies with 1948 study findings Confidence
that universally - Leadership - Validated original study Determination
differentiated reconceptualized - 10 characteristics Integrity
leaders as a relationship between positively identified with Sociability
from nonleaders people in a social situation leadership

Mann (1959) reviewed 1,400 Lord, DeVader, & Alliger

Innate Qualities findings of personality and (1986) meta-analysis
leadership in small groups - Personality traits can be
- Less emphasis on situations used to differentiate
- Suggested personality traits leaders/nonleaders
could be used to discriminate
Kirkpatrick & Locke (1991)
leaders from nonleaders
- 6 traits make up the
Right Stuff for leaders
Situations
Personality / Behaviors
Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 5

Major Leadership Traits

Traits to possess or cultivate if one seeks to be
perceived by others as a leader:

Intelligence Verbal, perceptual, and

reasoning capabilities. Ex. Steve Jobs

Self-Confidence Certainty about ones

competencies and skills. Ex. Steve Jobs

Determination Desire to get the job done

(i.e., initiative, persistence, drive). Ex. Lance
Armstrong
Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 6

Major Leadership Traits

Traits to possess or cultivate if one seeks to be

perceived by others as a leader:

Integrity The quality of honesty and

trustworthiness. Ex. Character Counts! program

Sociability Leaders inclination to seek out

pleasant social relationships. Ex. Michael
Hughes, university president

Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 7

5-Factor Personality Model & Leadership

Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 8

5-Factor Personality Model & Leadership

Big Five & Leadership Study Using Meta-Analysis
(Judge et al, 2002)
Results a strong relationship between personality
traits and leadership
Extraversion factor most strongly associated with
leadership
Most important trait of effective leaders
Conscientiousness 2nd most related factor
Openness next most related
Low Neuroticism
Agreeableness only weakly related to leadership
Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 9

Emotional Intelligence & Leadership

Definition Underlying Premise
Ability to perceive and: people who are
apply emotions to lifes more sensitive to
tasks their emotions &
reason/understand their impact on
emotions others will be
express emotions more effective
use emotions to facilitate leaders
thinking
manage emotions within
oneself and relationships
Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 10

Different Ways to Measure EQ

MSCEIT: EQ as a set of mental abilities
to perceive, facilitate, understand, and manage
emotion

Goleman (1995, 1998): EQ as a set of

personal and social competencies
self-awareness, confidence, self-regulation,
conscientiousness, and motivation

Shankman & Allen (2002): EQ as awareness

of three aspects of leadership
context, self, and others

Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION

How Does the Trait Approach Work?

Focus of Trait Approach

Strengths

Criticisms

Application
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 12

Focus of Trait Approach

Personality
Leader
Assessments
Focuses exclusively Organizations use personality
on leader assessments to find right
What traits leaders people
exhibit Assumption - will increase
organizational effectiveness
Who has these
Specify characteristics/traits for
traits
specific positions
Personality assessment
measures for fit
Instruments: LTQ, Myers Briggs

Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 13

Strengths
Intuitively appealing Highlights leadership
Perception that component in the
leaders are different in leadership process
that they possess Deeper level
special traits understanding of how
People need to view leader/personality
leaders as gifted related to leadership
Credibility due to a process
century of research Provides benchmarks for
support what to look for in a
leader

Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 14

Criticisms
Fails to delimit a List of most important
definitive list of leadership traits is highly
leadership traits subjective
Endless lists have Much subjective experience &
emerged observations serve as basis
for identified leadership traits
Doesnt take into
account situational Research fails to look at
effects traits in relationship to
Leaders in one situation
leadership outcomes
may not be leaders in Not useful for training &
another situation
development
Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE SIXTH EDITION 15

Application
Leadership Traits
Provides direction as to which traits are Intelligence

good to have if one aspires to a Self-Confidence

leadership position Determination

Through various tests and questionnaires, Integrity

individuals can determine whether they Sociability

have the select leadership traits and can

pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses
Can be used by managers to assess where they stand
within their organization and what is needed to
strengthen their position
Northouse - Leadership: Theory and Practice, Sixth Edition 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.